Trump's review of car fuel standards could lead to fight with California, environmentalists

By Steven Overly and Abby Phillip, Washington Post

March 15, 2017

Photo: Evan Vucci, STF

Image 1of/4

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 4

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable at the American Center of Mobility, Wednesday, March 15, 2017, in Ypsilanti Township, Mich. From left are, Trump, UAW president Dennis Williams, Ford CEO Mark Fields, and EPA administrator Scott Pruitt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) less

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable at the American Center of Mobility, Wednesday, March 15, 2017, in Ypsilanti Township, Mich. From left are, Trump, UAW president Dennis Williams, Ford CEO Mark ... more

Photo: Evan Vucci, STF

Image 2 of 4

President Donald Trump hosts a roundtable discussion at the American Center of Mobility, Wednesday, March 15, 2017, in Ypsilanti Township, Mich. Moving forcefully against Obama-era environmental rules, the president is set to announce in Michigan plans to re-examine federal requirements that regulate the fuel efficiency of new cars and trucks. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) less

President Donald Trump hosts a roundtable discussion at the American Center of Mobility, Wednesday, March 15, 2017, in Ypsilanti Township, Mich. Moving forcefully against Obama-era environmental rules, the ... more

Photo: Evan Vucci, STF

Image 3 of 4

In this Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, photo, Chevrolet pickup trucks appear on display at a dealership in Delmont, Pa. On Wednesday, March 15, 2017, the Commerce Department reports on business stockpiles in January. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) less

In this Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, photo, Chevrolet pickup trucks appear on display at a dealership in Delmont, Pa. On Wednesday, March 15, 2017, the Commerce Department reports on business stockpiles in January. ... more

Photo: Gene J. Puskar, STF

Image 4 of 4

An autoworker assembles an SUV at the General Motors plant in Arlington. Rebecca Lindland of Kelley Blue Book says meeting the current standards will be "extremely challenging" because electric vehicle sales have been slow and customers are buying many less-efficient SUVs and trucks. less

An autoworker assembles an SUV at the General Motors plant in Arlington. Rebecca Lindland of Kelley Blue Book says meeting the current standards will be "extremely challenging" because electric vehicle sales ... more

Photo: LM Otero, STF

Trump's review of car fuel standards could lead to fight with California, environmentalists

1 / 4

Back to Gallery

YPSILANTI, Mich. - President Donald Trump opened the door Wednesday to rolling back fuel efficiency standards that were adopted during the Obama administration, a move that could lead to a legal fight with state regulators and environmental groups in the coming years.

In January, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that automakers must achieve an average 54.4 mpg across their fleets by 2025. But Trump pledged Wednesday to review the standards in a speech at the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti. He told auto plant workers there that his administration will ensure the rules do not lead to job lossess and factory closures.

"Were going to work on the standards so you can make cars in America again," Trump said. "We're going to help the companies, and they're going to help you."

The announcement does not change existing regulations, but Democrats and environmentalists fear it signals the administration's desire to weaken rules they view as critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

They also worry the administration could eventually target an EPA waiver that allows California and a dozen other states to set stricter emissions standards than the federal government. Automakers will still be compelled to produce more fuel efficient cars so long as the regulations in California, the country's largest car market, remain in place.

"Making this U-turn on fuel economy is the wrong way to go for our security, economy and environment," Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said in a statement Wednesday. "Undoing the fuel economy standards will also lead to costly litigation and create needless uncertainty for the auto industry, threatening the economic and employment gains automakers have made in recent years."

The three major entities that regulate automobile emissions - the EPA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and California Air Resources Board - agreed to the fuel economy standards in 2012 and vowed to do reviews in 2017 and 2018 to determine whether they remained technologically and economically feasible. The current standard is 35.5 mpg.

Last year, the EPA determined the industry was on track to reach the goal and that the standards remained appropriate. After Trump's election in November, the agency moved to make that judgment final ahead of schedule despite the industry's request to adhere to the review's original timeline.

Even before Trump's announcement, the Auto Alliance, a trade association, challenged the EPA ruling in court, claiming it was "arbitrary and capricious" and exceeded the agency's legal authority. California filed a motion Tuesday in support of the EPA's decision.

Automakers eagerly welcomed the fuel announcement. Many contend that the regulations place a financial burden on automobile makers, which is likely to result in either employee layoffs or more expensive cars.

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.

Rebecca Lindland, senior director at Kelley Blue Book, said that meeting the existing standards will be "extremely challenging," because sales of electric vehicles have been tepid and Americans are buying large numbers of less-efficient SUVs and trucks.

Automakers "would certainly like this standard to be more closely representative of what consumers are already buying," Lindland said, adding that she expects the industry will continue to develop vehicles with more efficient combustion engines.

"Consumers want the most fuel efficient version of a vehicle they already want to buy."